Dragon Age 2 - The Real Story
by TimeLordSPARTAN
Summary: You know the story of the Champion, right? Wrong. Is it that surprising that Varric's second tale was just as much of a lie as his first? There was another person in the Champion's life. A man called the Doctor.
1. The Battle of Ostagar

**This chapter is intended as a prologue - it is set at the battle of Ostagar, which is before the events of DA2.**

* * *

_"You've told me your version of the Champion's story. Now tell me what _really_ happened."_

_"That _is_ what really happened."_

_"Bullshit. There was another man, one who called himself the Doctor. He was the reason they survived, no? And yet he does not appear in your tale."_

_The dwarf leaned forward.  
_

_"You _have_ done your research, haven't you?" he murmured. "Normally, I don't mention him - he doesn't like being mentioned in history." The woman moved toward him threateningly._

_"But for you, darling, I'll tell you the truth. The _real_ truth. Unfortunately for me, that truth sounds even crazier than my first lie. But this time, I swear to you on my life that this account is the true one."_

_"I've listened to two tales of bullshit already. Just tell the truth this time."_

_"This time," the dwarf began, "It starts in a place neither here nor there, neither now nor then. This time, it starts in a place with no time."  
_

_"Enough riddles. What is this place called?"_

_"The Doctor called it the Time Vortex."_

* * *

**The Time Vortex, Timeless**

The TARDIS hurtled through the Time Vortex, a place neither here nor there, neither now nor then. it was moving even more erratically than usual. A sudden explosion from the inside blew the exterior windows out as the Vortex flickered around it.

Inside, golden light poured from the hands and head of the time machine's sole crew member. Suddenly, the flow of light cut off, and the man glanced down.

"Hands, hands, still got hands," he muttered hurriedly, "Legs - yes, still got legs." He kissed his knee. "Hair, hair, ha- I'm a girl!" he exclaimed. "No... no, not a girl and..." he dragged his fringe down in front of his eyes "...I'm STILL _NOT_ GINGER!" the scatterbrained man could almost remember something very important.

"There's something else," he muttered, pounding his head. "I'm..." the TARDIS rocked as another explosion sounded from somewhere deep inside. "Crashing!" he shouted excitedly. He hurried to the round, six-paneled console, spinning coloured balls, pumping a bicycle pump and turning a small hand generator.

"Geronimo!"

* * *

**Ostagar, 9:30 Dragon**

"Archers!" the king shouted. The archers let loose a hail of arrows at the oncoming horde. A few fell, squirming, to be trampled underfoot. But the horde was too immense to be stopped by a few arrows.

"Dogs!" he shouted. The dog handlers let loose the mighty mabari warhounds, which took out another line or two before the creatures cut them down.

"For Ferelden!" he shouted, signaling the army to charge.

Marian and Carver were at the very back of the army, but even they would see some action before the day was done.  
Soon, the entire battlefield was thrown into chaos as the army and the darkspawn horde clashed. Marian finished disemboweling a hurlock just as another one threw Carver to the ground and raised its blade to finish him. Carver closed his eyes, readying himself for the incoming blow. The hurlock's sword clattered on the ground near his head. He looked up to see the creature hanging limply on a dagger erupting from its chest.

"They're not taking my brother," Marian declared, ripping her blade out of its back and helping Carver to his feet. "Bethany would hate me forever if you died on my watch." He chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Come on." The siblings fought their way through the horde, Carver living up to his name while Marian danced from foe to foe, leaving a trail of dead darkspawn in her wake. Before long, however, they realised they were cut off from the army and surrounded by darkspawn. Back to back, they watched as the darkspawn formed a circle around them, keeping just out of Carver's range.

"Well, it's been fun," Marian said to Carver.

"All good things must end, huh?" he replied. she nodded as the darkspawn charged them as one.

_BOOM_

A loud noise rent the air. Everyone raised their heads and stopped fighting as a burning object burst into existence, surrounded by a halo of red energy which vanished in an instant. The object fell on a shallow angle, straight for Marian and Carver. As the darkspawn around them fled in terror, Marian and Carver did the same, looking back to try to figure out what it was. The object neared them, then passed right over them. Marian could have sworn she heard a sound coming from it - a strange, echoing, wheezing, groaning sort of noise, repeating itself as it ended. The object impacted the ground right in front of the Hawke siblings, throwing them backwards. The darkspawn around them weren't so lucky - they were incinerated. Silently, Marian resolved to thank Bethany for her enchantment to protect them from fire.

The Hawke siblings carefully approached the object. It was a tall, blue box. Fire poured from the windows near the top - if they _were_ windows - and some form of lamp was slowly flashing. as they watched, the box emitted a loud _thump_. They both flinched, and Marian glanced around to check if any darkspawn were sneaking up on them. None of them even seemed to realise they were there - somehow, they were behind the horde.

The doors of the box flew open. a man staggered out, coughing from the smoke pouring out after him. He fell to the ground as the doors flew shut behind him. Marian hurried over to him - whoever he was, he had just saved their lives.

_thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

Carver looked up.

"Ogre!" he shouted. Marian quickly dragged the man out of the creature's way - it was on fire, and would most likely just be running from the pain. Carver dived to the side as the ogre hurtled past him with the force of an army of cavalry. THe creature flung the blue box aside without even breaking its stride, and the box suddenly started making the same noise Marian had heard before. It began to fade from sight as the man looked up.

"No!" he shouted, pushing Marian aside and rushing to the vanishing box. He was too late, however, and the box disappeared before it even hit the ground. The man fell to his knees in the mud, looking despondent.

"Didn't think the HADS would work after that crash - heck, I didn't expect it to _need_ to work." Marian placed her hand on his shoulder as Carver swung his sword menacingly at any darkspawn who dared to come close.

"We have to go. I don't know who you are, but you saved our lives. Come with us - who knows, we might end up saving yours." The man looked up.

"Well, since I can't find the TARDIS, I may as well go with you. Lead on!"


	2. Fleeing Lothering

**The Road to Lothering, 9:30 Dragon**

They were halfway to Lothering before Marian realized she hadn't asked the stranger his name. When she did so that night, he simply replied with "I'm the Doctor." Marian knew better than to press him further.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Hawke." The Doctor's eyes widened suddenly.

"That's why the darkspawn sounded so familiar..." Marian cocked her head, wondering what in Thedas the Doctor was talking about.

"What's the year?" he asked.

"What?"

"The year. What year is it?"

"9:30 Dragon."

The Doctor thought for a moment. The Forbidden Planet. Not Trenzalore - that was forbidden only to him. No, this world was forbidden to all travelers.

Still, without the TARDIS he couldn't exactly _go_ anywhere else, so he would just have to survive the Fifth Blight as best he could.

* * *

**Hawke Residence, Lothering, 9:30 Dragon**

Marian opened the door, to be greeted immediately by Bethany pulling her into a hug.

"What happened?" she asked. Marian recounted the whole story as Carver, then the Doctor followed her inside.

"...so then, next thing you know, BOOM!" Marian continued, embellishing the tale with hand movements. "Everyone looked up and saw this blue box flying through the air - I kid you not, _flying_ - and then it crashed into the ground right in front of me and Carver! The darkspawn around us were incinerated, but that enchantment of yours saved us - thanks for that, by the way." Marian finished telling Bethany about the battle while the Doctor paced the room impatiently.

"We lost the battle in the end, but Carver, the Doctor and I managed to get away from the darkspawn. Bethany, they're heading for Lothering!

"Then we have to go."

* * *

**The Road from Lothering, 9:30 Dragon**

They ran along the narrow path, the Doctor grinning while the others panted, their faces filled with fear. Marian's mother stumbled and fell, and the others stopped to help her. Bethany shot a fireball at the darkspawn, temporarily blocking their path Marian and Carver dealt with the two that got past.

As they helped their mother to her feet, the Doctor decided to find a weapon. The sonic was good, but it was no weapon - and, unfortunately, this was the forbidden planet, the one planet where a weapon is virtually a necessity. He could worry about the ethics of whatever he would do later, once he had the TARDIS back and was safely far away from this world.

He scavenged a bow and some arrows from a corpse and turned to fire at the creatures behind the wall of flames. He tested the draw weight, found it to be weak, and took out the sonic. Marian watched, intrigued, as the Doctor ran a strange, glowing metal stick along the length of the bow, tested it again, and nocked an arrow. Her curiosity was driven from her mind, however, when the darkspawn broke through the wall of flames.

A hand grabbed her arm.

"Run," the Doctor said.

* * *

Marian heard a familiar sound.

_thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

An ogre ran full pelt up the rise, stopping in the middle of the arena-like space. It roared defiantly at the air before making its way toward Carver and Leandra.

"You soulless bastard!" Carver shouted defiantly, charging at the ogre. Before he could land a single hit, the creature grabbed him. The Doctor drew his new bow, aiming for the creature's leg. As he loosed the arrow, the ogre slammed Carver down to the ground with enough force to kill him.

"Carver!" Leandra cried. The Doctor's arrow finally struck, hamstringing the creature's leg. Unbalanced, the ogre toppled, allowing Marian the chance to strike. She leapt into the air, shouting incomprehensibly, and drove her daggers into the creature's chest with the force of her own weight. The Doctor rushed in to help, nocking three arrows at once and sending them all hurtling into the ogre's neck. Only Bethany and Aveline, the templar's wife whom they had met on the way out of Lothering, didn't attack the creature.

The darkspawn flooded onto the peak, backing them against the cliff face. The Doctor was doing all he could to keep them away, but even he couldn't hold off a darkspawn horde with a few arrows.

"There's no end to them!" Bethany wailed, prompting Marian to lay her hand on her younger sister's arm. A loud roar suddenly filled the air. They all turned to see a red shape unfurl its mighty wings and soar down from the top of the cliff, fire pouring from its maw. They ducked as it passed overhead, but it seemed uninterested in them, contenting itself with incinerating the darkspawn. It landed in the middle of the burning area it had created, golden lights circling it as it changed to a more human form.

"Amazing," the Doctor commented "A draconic haemovarioform - here!" The woman the dragon had become heard his words, smiling ever so slightly.

"Well, well, what have we here?" The woman asked. The question was clearly rhetorical, but the Doctor answered her anyway.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. This is Marian, Bethany, Leandra and Aveline. The injured one is her husband, Wesley, and the dead one is Marian and Bethany's brother, Leandra's son Carver." The woman almost broke out into a real grin before she caught herself.

"My, my, such an honest young man," she commented.

"Hey! I'll have you know, I'm nine hundred and six years old! Don't go calling me young!" The woman blinked, before turning to Marian.

"I spotted a strange sight, a mighty ogre, slain. 'Who might be able to achieve such a feat?' I asked myself. But now my curiosity is sated, and you are safe."

"You can't just leave without telling us who you are!" Marian exclaimed.

"I know who she is," Aveline chipped in as she tended her husband, "The Witch of the Wilds."

"Some call me that," the woman admitted, "also, Flemeth. Asha'bellanar. An old hag who talks too much." She chuckled as she related the last name.

"We need some help," the Doctor interjected. "We're trying to get to Kirkwall."

"Kirkwall? My, my, that is a long way from home, is it not?"

"We could use some more fire," the Doctor reccomended.

"Sadly, my charity is at an end. Here," she said, handing a locket to Marian. "Take this to Keeper Marethari at Sundermount when you arrive in Kirkwall. I shall ensure you get there." Marian nodded mutely as Flemeth turned to Wesley.

"The taint is within you," she told him. "The only freedom from it is death." The Doctor walked over to them, holding a knife he had scavenged from a corpse nearby.

"I can't make the decision for you, Aveline. He's your husband." He handed her the knife.

Wesley looked Aveline square in the eyes.

"The witch is right," he told her, "I can feel it in my veins."

"There must be a way to cure it!" Aveline exclaimed.

"The only cure I know of," Flemeth announced, "is to become a Grey Warden."

"Too bad they all died at Ostagar," Marian retorted angrily.

"Not all," Flemeth replied, her golden eyes holding Marian's brilliant blue ones without flinching, "but the last ones are beyond your reach."

The Doctor stole a chance to scan Wesley with the sonic while no-one was watching. He glanced at the crystal, realising what the "taint" was.

"It's some kind of... parasite, living in his blood!" he exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at him as he hurriedly stashed the sonic away.

"If only I had the TARDIS..."

Flemeth turned to Marian.

"Has the man hit his head?" Marian shook her head.

"He's been like this since he fell out of a flying blue box at Ostagar. Although, I can't argue with his archery skills." The Doctor looked up at the mention of a flying blue box.

"Blue box? That's the TARDIS!"

"TARDIS?"

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space! It's a dimensionally transcendental, high-tech, space-time travel machine from the planet Gallifrey, and it's my transport."

Bethany spoke up.

"Can you repeat that... in English?"

"Basically it's a blue box that's bigger on the inside and can go anywhere and anywhen." Bethany nodded. She had understood _that_ time.

Flemeth turned to face them all.

"The road will get no easier in the days to come..."

* * *

_"So you're telling me the Doctor has a blue box which is bigger on the inside and can take him anywhere in the world, and any time that has happened or ever will happen?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Bullshit."_

_"Hey, I told you it was crazier than my lies."_

_"Point taken. Continue."_


	3. The Will

_Well, the witch kept her word. The Hawkes, Aveline and the Doctor took ship, and got to Kirkwall. That part of the story is the same."_

_"But..?"_

_"But then it changes a little. You see, Hawke and her companions still joined the Red Iron, and throughout their 'servitude' they worked together. All but the Doctor. He had an uncanny ability to cause anyone the Red Iron wanted dead to die - while making it look like suicide. The only reason people thought it was suicide, though, was the fact that they were always found with the knife in their own hand - and the room sealed. Those who knew where to look could always find the Doctor's mark on the victim, however. Eventually, he became known as "the Phantom" as well as the Doctor. After they had paid off their debt, however, they immediately found out where Hawke's grandfather's will was from Gamlen - and they wasted no time in seeking it out..."_

* * *

Marian glanced around. It never hurt to be on the alert in Darktown. The Doctor examined the lock on the door in front of them. The Darktown access route to the Amell estate. Finally, he nodded and drew out his silver stick. Marian had tried asking him what in Thedas it was, but his explanation left her more than a little confused - unless he meant that buzzing sounds could open locks and-

The lock clicked open. Marian, Aveline and Bethany stared at the Doctor, amazed.

"Told you it opens any lock." He pushed the door open and led the way in, gripping the sonic in one hand and a small knife in the other. Aa he waved the silver stick around the room, Marian stepped forward, and noticed something.

"Trap!" she exclaimed as the Doctor pointed the stick at it. Having disarmed the trap, he led the way into the room. Immediately, slavers were besetting them on all sides, surprising everyone but the Doctor. With a single, fluid motion he stowed the stick and threw his knife at one of the slavers. It hit the man with a satisfying _thump _as the Doctor took his bow off of his back. By this time, Marian and Bethany had sprung into action. Bethany rained fireballs on the slavers as Marian danced nimbly between them, dodging weapons, arrows and fireballs while leaving a trail of dead men in her wake. With this strategy, the men were finished very quickly.

"Strange," the Doctor noted, "it almost seemed like they were waiting for us."

They progressed through the cellar, fighting even more groups of slavers. Even hopelessly outnumbered, however, they still prevailed. Finally, they reached the door to the vault. The Doctor whipped his stick out, buzzed the lock, and opened the door. Marian and the Doctor stared at the object that met them in the middle of the vault.

"Is that the..." Bethany asked, trailing off as the Doctor nodded.

"You beauty!" he exclaimed, hurrying up to the doors of the box and inserting the key, which he had worn around his neck like an amulet for the past year. He flung the doors open...

And almost fell fifty feet.

"Oh Rassilon..." he murmured, buzzing the immense space with his stick as Marian and Bethany stared in amazement. A loud sound met their ears. A sound that resembled a Chantry bell... and yet seemed to warn of impending doom.

_Dong... dong... dong..._

"The cloister bell." Marian and Bethany were confused, and scared. Marian tentatively began to ask a question before the Doctor put his hand up, quieting her.

"It only rings in the direst of circumstances, situations when even the TARDIS herself is in danger." He thought for a moment.

"The HADS must have interrupted the interior regeneration. Instead of fixing everything..." he trailed off, and Bethany finished for him.

"It consumed everything inside," she said. He nodded.

"Good thing about this, though," he spoke up excitedly as an idea popped into his head, "is that all the energy in all of the rooms is now stored inside the architectural reconfiguration system." He pointed with his stick at the sole point of light in the entire space. The Hawkes squinted, and could just make out the shape of a tree with glowing fruit. The Doctor buzzed the stick and slammed the doors, causing the others to jump.

"Best give it awhile to repair itself. A few weeks, maybe."

* * *

"Found it!" Marian exclaimed. Bethany hurried over, read the first few lines of their grandfather's will, and glanced at Marian.

"Mother needs to see this."

"We'll go right now."

* * *

The trio hurried home through Darktown and then Lowtown. It was getting dark by the time they found their way through the confusing maze of narrow roads between the houses of Lowtown and back to Gamlen's house. The Doctor sighed.

"Home, sweet home." Marian glanced sideways at him.

"Not for much longer. Not for us - and certainly not for you." He nodded. After awhile, he had started to feel the strain of staying in one place - one time - on his mind. He had begun to get more agressive, offsetting Bethany's generally calm personality and Marian's witty, charming personality. He knew it was happening, but he also knew that if he stayed long enough, he would get used to the strain. He also knew that Marian had to become the Champion, and that someone would stay with her no matter what decisions she made.

He had always wondered who this mysterious companion was. From what he knew, this companion was with Marian no matter who was in her group - and regardless of whether Marian wanted them there.

He supposed this mysterious companion was him, now.

"I might stay a bit longer after the TARDIS fixes herself. The Forbidden Planet is very strange. My race doesn't have any knowledge of it. I reckon it's my duty to find out as much as I can.

Marian nodded, grinning to Bethany as she brushed her short, untidy black hair out of her eyes.


	4. Sundermount part 1

The Doctor pushed open the door, revealing the small, damp room. He strolled over to the writing desk as if he had simply been for a walk, and had begun reading a letter addressed to "The Phantom" when Marian and Bethany burst in.

"Mother! we found it!" Leandra looked up from the fire as the girls hurried over to her.

"He forgave you, mother," Marian began, "and he left you everything!" Gamlen looked around nervously.

"Well, I should... ah..." he backed away slowly, bumping into the Doctor.

"To my daughter Leandra, and all children born of her... the estate in Hightown and all associated revenues!" Marian couldn't help but interrupt her mother by saying:

"Check out the part where Gamlen is left only a sty pen - to be controlled by you!" the Doctor found himself sniggering, and quickly turned back to his letter.

* * *

_The Phantom - or the Doctor, whatever the hell you want to be called._

_I know you're not obliged to work for me anymore, but if you ever find yourself needing some coin I'm sure the Red Iron can find you some work. I'd be happy to offer you double the pay I give to any of my other workers - you're easily worth double any of them._

_Tell Hawke and her apostate sister not to worry about the templars - we're full of secrets in the Red Iron, and we never give up anyone to the authorities._

_Also, have you heard about that expedition being led by the dwarf Bartrand? I'm sure he could use your help staying alive in the Deep Roads - and you and the Hawkes could sure use the kind of coin he's offering._

_Keep in touch_

_Meeran_

* * *

The Hawkes had finished settling their dispute by the time the Doctor finished re-reading the letter for the third time. An expedition to the Deep Roads? Surely they were full of darkspawn - far too dangerous to go hunting for treasure. He put the matter to the side in his mind - there was another matter they needed to take care of.

"Doctor?" he glanced to his right to see Bethany watching him with concern.

"Is that letter from Meeran?" he nodded.

"He says to tell you that he's keeping your secret. the Red Iron doesn't give people up to the templars for helping them out." she nodded.

"I've been thinking..." she began as Marian walked over.

"We should probably take care of that amulet the old hag gave us," Marian began. The Doctor nodded in agreement. Bethany stood up at the same time as the Doctor.

"Let's go.

* * *

**Sundermount**

"Hold, shems. Your kind are not welcome here." The Doctor looked the two elven hunters up and down. They looked capable, and he figured he could take them down in about ten seconds. Bethany pushed in front of him before he could reach for his bow.

"We were told to deliver this amulet to keeper Marethari," she informed the elves, holding out the amulet for them to see. The female elf nudged her companion.

"These are the ones the keeper spoke of," she whispered.

"Shemlens? I thought they'd be elves," the other replied before allowing them to pass.

"Cause any trouble, shems, and you shall meet our blades."

"Marethari?" Marian asked, "we were told to deliver this to you." The elf took the amulet, inspected it and handed it back.

"Indeed I am keeper Marethari. I'm afraid your debt is not yet paid, however. This amulet needs to be taken to the peak of the mountain... and given an ancient Dalish rite for the departed. You will find my First on the path up the mountain. She will perform the rite... and then I must ask you to take her with you."

"That sounds a bit... odd," the Doctor commented.

"Nevertheless, it is her choice." With that, the trio turned and headed up the path.

Around the first bend in the path, they spotted a young female elf, crouching and bent over something in her hand. The Doctor took another step, and the elf glanced around, spotting him.

"Oh," she said, turning to face them and pocketing something, "I didn't hear you." She hurried over.

"I'm Merrill," she said. "The keeper's First. But you probably already knew that." The Doctor almost sniggered at her nervousness.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't ask your names. Unless... it's not rude to ask a human's name, is it?" Marian started to reassure the nervous young elf when the Doctor interjected.

"Well, _I'm_ not human, but it's not rude to ask our names." Merrill blinked her green eyes, surprised, but she quickly recovered as Bethany introduced herself.

"I'm Bethany," she told her, reaching over as if to shake her hand. Both girls flinched as a blue spark passed between their hands.

"That'll be an aftereffect of using magic," the Doctor informed them, "builds up static electricity. Am I right in assuming you're a mage?" he asked. Merrill nodded, again quite surprised.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way." Now Merrill was even more confused.

"Isn't that more of a title than a name?" she asked.

"It is a title, but my name is one of the most dangerous things in the whole of space and time, so I never use it." Merrill was thrown off by his frankness and the matter-of-fact way he said that. Marian stepped forward.

"My name's Hawke."

"Oh, pleased to meet you, Hawke. Is Bethany your sister?" Marian nodded uncomfortably. She could sense the conversation heading in a direction none of them wanted it to go in. The Doctor surreptitiously scanned Merrill with the sonic, walking slightly up the path to check the reading. There it was again! It was there in Bethany, and now it was there in Merrill!

Both mages had a very low iron content in their blood - almost as if something were eating it. What could be causing it, however, he had no idea. and Lyrium - it was some strange mixture of metals and nonmetals, not an element. The glow came from radioactive parts of it, and the other elements appeared to be everything a robot needed. Perhaps...

He hurried back to the girls, drawing his knife.

"This is going to sound very strange, but could the two of you please hold out your index fingers?" Merrill and Bethany held out their fingers, confused. He quickly cut open their fingertips, making sure to draw blood on two different parts of the blade. They both shouted at him angrily, sucking on their fingers. Marian drew her dagger.

"Why?" she asked.

"I had to check something," the Doctor replied, scanning the blood samples. "I knew it!" he exclaimed, stowing the sonic away.

Marian gasped in shock as the Doctor took the knife in his right hand and slashed open his own left hand. He wiped the gash with the knife, making sure to leave the blade on his hand. Following that, he wiped the knife clean on his leather armor and bound his hand with a strip of cloth. The girls were all staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You just cut open your own hand," Marian pointed out.

"Thank you, captain obvious." He turned on his heel and strode up the path.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by skeletal warriors.

"Damn!" the Doctor shouted, drawing his bow. He fired as fast as he could, but arrows appeared to have no effect on the undead. Marian slashed and stabbed at the creatures surrounding her, but again she was having no effect. The two mages, on the other hand, were happily incinerating the skeletons one by one. Eventually, the Doctor lost his temper. He grabbed the skeleton menacing him by the skull, pulling it up so hard it came off. The skull continued to snap at him, but the body collapsed.

"Marian!" he shouted, "aim for their necks!"

Soon, all the skeletons were dealt with.

They continued up the mountain path, wondering what other horrors they would have to face before this journey came to an end.


	5. Sundermount part 2

The Doctor, Marian, Bethany and Merrill staggered out of the cave. They were near the peak of Sundermount, having fought their way through caves infested with spiders.

All that stood in their way now was a gate. The Doctor scanned it, checking the blue crystal on his sonic screwdriver.

"Force-field," he declared, "no way we're getting through there." Merrill stepped forward.

"I can open the way. One moment." As she prepared herself, the Doctor's hand began to throb. Merrill drew her knife, slashing open her own wrist, and sent a powerful wave of blood at the barrier. It couldn't stand the stress, and proceeded to shatter. As she turned around to face the others, she noticed them all staring at her - all except the Doctor, who was frowning at his bandaged palm, flexing it.

"That was blood magic," Bethany told her sister.

"Yes, it was blood magic, but I'm in control! The spirit helped us, didn't it?"

Marian nodded.

"It did help, but-" she was cut off by the Doctor's agonised howl. He had collapsed to the dirt, clutching his chest, and was now writhing in pain. They crowded around him.

"What's wrong with him?" Merrill asked frantically. The Hawke sisters shook their heads in confusion as the Doctor gasped out a few words.

"My... my left heart... it's stopped!"

"Left heart?" Merrill asked in confusion.

"He has two hearts," Marian explained as Bethany readied a healing spell.

"No... no healing spell..." Bethany powered down, confused. "Light... lightning... on my left side..."

Merrill and Marian watched as Bethany nodded, stood, and pointed her staff at the convulsing man.

"Stand back," she told them, before sending a bolt of electricity arcing into the man's chest.

He stilled, sitting up.

"That's better," he commented. "Two hearts! Back in the game." The women glanced at one another before he led the way into the graveyard-like area beyond the gate. As they approached the altar by the cliff, the space was suddenly filled with skeletons - and a strange, wraith-like being the Doctor had seen in a book. An Arcane Horror.

As the others defended themselves from the skeletons, he drew his bow and engaged the Horror. He narrowly dodged the spirit bolt it sent at him before letting loose with a trio of arrows, only one of which hit the creature. He followed up by sprinting at the creature, leaping at it and hitting its head with his bow as he rode it down onto its back. He drew his knife and prepared to sever the creature's head.

Before he could do so, he found himself hurled bodily backward, his knife spinning into the abyss behind it and his bow lying on the ground where he had dropped it. Weaponless, he scrambled backwards as the Arcane Horror advanced, preparing a spell that he knew would kill him.

As if it had a mind of its own, his left hand raised itself to face the creature. In a burst of flame, the bandage was incinerated, falling from his hand to crumble to ashes. From his now exposed palm erupted a veritable torrent of fire, setting the Arcane Horror alight and causing it to fly so far back it fell to the foot of the mountain, far below. He stared at his hand, knowing his earlier experiment must have been correct - the 'magic' was transferred through blood. That and a low iron content could only mean one thing.

Self-replicating nano-bots. The powers that mages had came from nano-bots in their blood. Lyrium contained large quantities of nuclear material - a perfect fuel source for tiny robots.

The women had finally finished clearing up the other skeletons, and were walking over to him.

"How did you..." Marian asked, indicating his bow lying on the ground near the cliff edge. In answer, he held out his hand, willing the fire to come.

He wasn't disappointed. A column of fire, easily ten feet tall, erupted from his palm to the astonishment of all assembled.

"But... you..." Bethany was almost speechless.

"I'm not a mage, I know. Or, at least, I _wasn't_ a mage."

"How?" Bethany asked. Merrill, however, had an idea.

"It was our blood, wasn't it? You put our blood into your veins back at the bottom of the mountain." He nodded, proceeding to explain the nano-bots with a large amount of technobabble. The women could only just understand what he was saying - nano-bots and radioactive materials and low iron content had absolutely no meaning to them.

Merrill shook her head, stepping to the altar and setting the amulet on top of it.

_"_hahren_ na melana sahlin_  
_emma ir abelas_  
_souver'inan isala hamin_  
_vhenan him dor'felas_  
_in utheara na revas_

_vir sulahn'nehn_  
_vir dirthera_  
_vir samahl la numin_  
_vir lath sa'vunin"_

They heard a sound familiar only to Marian and the Doctor. A peculiar, wheezing, groaning _vwooorp_.

* * *

Morrigan walked through the Korcari Wilds, taking in the sights, sounds and scents of her old home. It had been weeks since she had left Jack, the Dalish elf Grey Warden she had loved, to find a place to raise her unborn child. She had returned to the Wilds, believing them to be the best place to settle down. Unfortunately, she could still feel the lingering spirit of Flemeth hovering over the place like a shadow. She could never settle down here, even though Jack had slain Flemeth almost a year ago. As she prepared to leave this maker-forsaken place, she heard a peculiar, wheezing, groaning _vwooorp, __vwooorp, __vwooorp._

A swirling vortex of red light appeared in front of her. She turned to flee, but the pull it exerted on her was just too great. She felt her feet leave the ground as she was sucked, shrieking, into the vortex.

* * *

A swirling red vortex appeared above the altar. Marian recognized it as the halo that had surrounded the TARDIS when it first appeared. The Doctor knew it as the Time Vortex. All four of them were astonished when a black-haired, strangely dressed young woman fell out and landed hard on the stone altar.

She looked up, seeing the Hawkes, the time lord and the elf, and immediately took her staff off of her back, preparing to defend herself. The Doctor grabbed Marian's arm as she reached for a dagger.

Merrill stared at the new arrival, confused.

"You are not Asha'bellanar," she said. The woman relaxed slightly - only slightly.

"'Tis not I you expected to arrive here?" she asked. Merrill shook her head. The Doctor thought for a moment. The history of the Forbidden Planet was not exactly fresh in his memory - he'd read the book when he was but a child of 50 - but this woman's appearance seemed to strike a chord in his mind. Her speech definitely did.

"Excuse me," he said, pushing past Merrill to speak to the woman directly, "would your name happen to be _Morrigan_?"

Morrigan nodded.

"Indeed, that is my name. The woman your friend refers to as Asha'bellanar is... _was_ my mother, Flemeth." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"I find it hard to believe that a woman who can turn into a dragon could be easy to kill."

"My lover, the hero of Fereldan, killed her."

"She saved us from the darkspawn once, when we were fleeing Lothering." Now it was Morrigan's turn to raise her eyebrows at him.

"I assume she asked for something in return." The Doctor indicated the amulet.

"Ah. It contains a piece of her soul - I assume she intended to use it to escape death at the hands of my lover. Of course, she was too late. It must have, instead, locked on to her nearest blood relative - me." The Doctor held out his hand, and Morrigan took it, allowing him to help her off the altar.

"As I appear to be stuck here, now, I suppose I will have to return with you. I do not know these lands as I know my own, and I would prefer the company of humans over that of elves." The others introduced themselves, and the Doctor scooped up the amulet as they turned to head back down the mountain.


End file.
